There were 608 confirmed cases of animal cruelty and welfare concerns in Singapore in 2025, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Singapore. This was a decline from an all-time high of 961 cases in 2024.
But SPCA Singapore executive director Walter Leong cautions against complacency. “I am hopeful that things are turning around. At the same time, I am mindful that there will always be bad actors in any society and that needs to be addressed through the law,” he says.
To that end, SPCA Singapore and the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) recently co-authored the Strengthening Protections for Animal Welfare White Paper. The report calls for stronger animal welfare legislation and enhanced enforcement measures here.
Prior to taking on this role last year, Leong held senior positions in the private, public and non-profit sectors. He previously owned an indoor vertical farm and most recently served as deputy executive director of the Singapore Environment Council.
The organisation he oversees now carries a broad and complex mandate. In addition to animal rescue services, SPCA Singapore investigates cruelty and welfare cases, shelters unwanted pets and community animals, and operates the country’s only not-for-profit community animal clinic. It also helps reunite lost pets with their owners, manages an adoption programme, runs the nationwide trap-neuterrehome/ release-manage (TNRM) programme for dogs, and conducts public education and outreach initiatives
The sheer scale of its work means the registered charity relies heavily on volunteers. Alongside 58 staff members, 800 volunteers help care for around 200 animals at any one time. Approximately half are housed at SPCA Singapore’s Sungei Tengah facility while the remainder live in foster homes.
In Leong’s view, social media is a double-edged sword for animal advocacy. Although invaluable for outreach, fundraising, investigations and the recovery of lost pets, it also enables performative animal abuse and encourages irresponsible pet ownership.
While public outrage over animal cruelty cases can prompt authorities to act swiftly, it can deepen divisions and entrench opposing viewpoints.
“This can lead to polarisation and cause people to double down on their positions. That isn’t always helpful in making long-term societal changes.”
Walter Leong on using social media for animal advocacy
Leong believes that, at least for now, a future without animal shelters remains aspirational due to falling adoption rates, ongoing challenges in managing the community cat population, persistent pet abandonment, and widespread illegal breeding.
Such a future, he says, would require seismic shifts in society, including adoption becoming the norm, a fully integrated and effective TNRM programme, and stronger enforcement against illegal breeding and abandonment.
It is also imperative that animal welfare efforts place a greater emphasis on prevention rather than intervention. This means addressing the underlying causes of suffering through legislative and policy reforms, outreach as well as support to communities, sterilisation, and population control.
“When left unaddressed, animal welfare issues can escalate into matters of public safety and public health. They can even affect community cohesion and the rule of law,” Leong says.
His response to those who believe human welfare should take precedence over animal welfare? The two are interconnected rather than mutually exclusive. Leong pictures a compassionate Singapore where all animals are treated with kindness and respect: “Compassion for all living beings is not a zero-sum game.”
Photography Mun Kong
Art direction Ed Harland
Hair Karol Soh using Revlon
Makeup Zhou Aiyi using Cle de Peau Beaute
Photography assistant Hizuan Zailani
